A report released by the Land Trust Alliance finds that the pace of private land conservation by local and state land trusts has more than tripled from 2000 to 2005. Click here for more information on the report.

Protect Kendall Now! is a countywide effort to plan for and increase the pace of land conservation in Kendall County. Kendall County is the fourth fastest growing county in Illinois and the second fastest growing county in the nation. The urgency to preserve open space and natural resources in Kendall County has never been greater.

Protect Kendall Now! has three
phases:

Phase 1 consisted of developing the Kendall County Open Space and Natural Areas Plan.

Phase 2 consisted of a public awareness and media blitz campaign to increase the awareness of the need and urgency to protect open space now. This phase occurred in Sept.-Nov. 2005.

Phase 3 is the landowner contact phase where we will contact and establish relationships with willing landowners and inform them of their many options to preserve their properties. Phase 3 is on-going. It started in July 2006.

Kendall County's high quality natural areas include forests, wetlands, seeps and fens that buffer the rivers and creeks of the area, provide open space for recreation, and habitat for wildlife. The quality of life for the individuals who live, work, and play in the area will be greatly compromised if this land is not protected. The Conservation Foundation, in partnership with numerous public and private partners is making a concerted effort in the next several years to preserve the open space and natural areas of Kendall County.

Protect Kendall Now! Is...

a vision for future open space and natural resources protection in Kendall County, developed through consensus

organized by a Steering Committee consisting of local citizens and government
representatives

a local planning effort, driven by local citizens and elected officials

a plan which depends on voluntary participation by landowners and developers for its implementation

a network of natural resources compiled from adopted comprehensive plans into one countywide database

a view incorporating lands with natural features identified by local citizen groups